Wild Planet opens at the Natural History Museum

23 March 2012

The free exhibition Wild Planet opens today at the Natural History Museum in London, displaying award-winning images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year archives.

From the wildest landscapes to the most endangered species, Wild Planet showcases 80 photos chosen by BBC personality and zoologist Chris Packham from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition.

Wild Planet is in the beautiful setting of the Museum's East lawn and runs throughout the summer until 30 September. Entry is free.

Visitors at Wild Planet, the free exhibition on the Museum front lawn.

Each photo caption includes the story of how they were taken plus insights into the species featured, inspiring and educating a new generation of wildlife photographers and nature enthusiasts.

About Wynand's black rhino photo

Wynand du Plessis from South Africa took the Rhino drinking photo, shown above, which was highly commended for The Gerald Durrell Award in 1998. Black rhinos are critically endangered and numbers were at their lowest in the 1990s, mainly due to poaching for their horn. A ban on international trade, as well as protection of the animals and their habitat, mean numbers are now on the rise.

Competition

Each year, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition’s winning images are displayed in the popular exhibition at the Museum in London and then tour nationally and internationally. This year's commended images will be announced at the end of August 2012.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is owned by the Natural History Museum, London, and BBC Worldwide.